Forget AL East crown, Blue Jays taking aim at top of AL or MLB

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The Blue Jays woke up on Monday in first place in the American League East, preparing to defend that honour with another three-game series against the New York Yankees.

And as crazy as it sounds, retaining that placing could be the least of their goals, given their recent surging success.

That upward climb continued with the 100th game of a season rapidly steaming to the most important stretch, a resounding 4-1 win before a sold out Rogers Centre crowd on Monday as the Jays now have the second-best record in the American League and almost incredibly, the fourth-best in all of Major League Baseball.

Yes, the sudden, scintillating rise through the standings as they approach being two thirds through the season has manager John Schneider’s team in position for much more than its first division title in a decade.

And yes, when the Jays set the franchise record with an 11th consecutive home win on Monday night against Aaron Judge and the Bronx Bombers, there are heady, higher aspirations within their reach.

Perhaps getting comfortable and more confident with the division lead – where they’ve sat for the past 20 days now – another series win against the Yanks would entrench that status and increase the three-game margin currently in place.

But here’s where things get seriously enticing for the Jays, who with that 59-41 are now hot on the heels of the only team better than them in the American League, the Detroit Tigers, who at 60-41 lead the AL Central and are only a half game up.

Chasing down the Tigers for the league lead has huge benefit come post season but even the No. 2 seed is of huge significance, should the Jays be able to retain it through the remaining 63 games. To get a bye through the wildcard round that has yielded such crushing disappointment the previous two times they participated in the post season, is a potentially huge development.

With so much of the season remaining, there could be a temptation to pump the brakes on some of the most exuberant enthusiasm. There is surely a downturn to come at some point, though it feels as though the Jays are better equipped to deal with a slump than they’ve been in a while.

There are health concerns and persistent needs for the top half of the order to contribute offensively in a more meaningful way. And pitching wise, there will be a need for reinforcements.

But countering any of those doubts is the way the Jays have reached their current spot and the growing sense of something special developing within a resilient group that is finding ways to win in multiple ways.

What happens off of the field over the next 10 day, starting with that big-game feel on Monday matters in a large way. With a fired-up fan base, a united clubhouse and a team that seems to be relishing the intangibles of what a winning team feels like, it’s on general manager Ross Atkins to enhance what’s happening in a meaningful way.

As obvious as the comparisons to 2015 are, it’s impossible not to draw parallels to a decade ago. The players feel it. The fans feel it. And a renovated Rogers Centre feels like the place to be in the peak of a Toronto summer.

Which brings us back to the present. The week ahead certainly serves up a stout test on a couple of fronts for the Jays. First, you wouldn’t expect the Yankees won’t roll over like they did earlier in the month when they were swept away in the four-game series that allowed the Jays to surge to the division lead. But in winning the opener, now all the Jays need is to split the remaining two contests to claim yet another series ‘W.’

Following that, there’s a four-gamer at the other end of the 401 when the Jays meet the Tigers in perhaps the most important showdown against their closest geographical rival in decades. Over the seven games, the Jays will face the Yankees top two starters — Rodon on Monday and Max Fried on Wednesday. And in the Motor City, they’ll take on ace of aces, the Tigers Tarik Skubal on the weekend.

As for the Yankees, when they previously arrived in Toronto on June 30, they held a three-game lead over the Jays before the four losses — including a resounding Canada Day celebration — caused them to surrender top spot.

Since then, the Jays have been on an historic run in terms of franchise accomplishments. There was a 10-game winning streak, matching the club mark. There have been the 11 consecutive wins at the dome, eclipsing another franchise record and what a way to eclipse it with a fifth consecutive Toronto win over their division rival.

The Jays are well aware of what’s at stake — it’s impossible not to be. They can read and digest the standings like you and I, they can feel the energy at the Rogers Centre, which is full or close to it every day and night now.

Presumably, they’re also well aware of what got them to this place (on pace for 95 wins) and that’s a laser focus on the immediate task and to quickly flush the big win or loss the previous night.

With TV ratings through the roof, and sellout crowds watching the team with the best home winning percentage in baseball, a summer of opportunity awaits.